Storm Hunter has traveled a long road. One that has taken her through a devastating injury, rehabilitation and a pivotal practice session. A road that, time and again, has led her to Beijing.
It was in Beijing that Hunter hit a crossroads, trying to determine whether her singles career had another chapter after recovering from a surgically repaired Achilles. In 2025, she put that question to the test.
Hunter practiced with Coco Gauff in Beijing, using the session as a measure of whether her body, and her game, could still hold up against one of the best players in the world.
“I was like, okay, let's see how this practice goes with Coco,” Hunter said. “Like, if I feel like I'm playing in a good level with her, and I feel like I’m not getting absolutely smashed on the court, then I guess we’ll have a little bit more to give. And it was really, really good practice.”
That practice gave the former No. 1 doubles player a reason to keep going in singles.
More than a year later after that practice session, the 182nd ranked women’s singles player is back in Beijing, this time with something tangible to show for the journey.
The 32-year-old Australian defeated 22-year-old Ksenia Zaytseva, the 396th ranked women’s single player, 6-0, 6-1 in 41 minutes in the final round of the qualifying to advance to a first-round meeting against 16-year-old Yu Jun Lin.
“I felt like I was in control in a lot of the points and able to dictate and play on my terms pretty early on in the match,” Hunter said. “But at the same time, I kind of know when you feel like you've got the lead or momentum, it can change very, very fast. So even when I won the first set and when I put a break early in the second, I still feel like I had to be on and keep kind of putting the pressure on.”
Hunter’s April 2024 Achilles tear altered the way she prepares for and recovers from matches. She said that to get over the mental baggage of not being able to move the same way she used to, she had to try different methods of preparation.
“I just had to kind of work in different ways, and just probably just manage my loads a bit more with training,” Hunter said, “whereas before, I kind of go out and just practice as long as I wanted day in, day out and then didn’t have to think about it. Now, we’ve just got to be a bit smarter with my load, making sure we’re getting enough load and then not overloading as well in training and practice.”
Hunter, who reached a career-high No. 114 in singles before her injury, said breaking into the top 100 remains a driving force behind her decision to continue her singles career.
“I just feel like in singles I haven’t gotten to where I believe I can get to,” Hunter said. “I really think I can be top 100. I’ve been close before and got a little bit unlucky (with the injury). I feel that that is my level, and I would really like to do that just for myself. I feel like I owe it to myself to just really keep going until I can’t anymore.”
By Pranav Sriraman
Weibo@ChinaOpen
WeChat Channel
Douyin@ChinaOpen
